


come morning light (we'll be safe & sound)

by parkrstark



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Captivity, Car Accidents, Child Abandonment, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Drowning, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, M/M, Nightmares, Past Child Abuse, Poison, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Superfamily, The Raft Prison (Marvel), Underage Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24413680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkrstark/pseuds/parkrstark
Summary: After a strange mission, Steve, Tony, and Peter find themselves trapped in their own living nightmares. Some memories of their past, some they hoped to keep from even each other, and some of the worst 'what if's their minds can imagine. All they have is each other until they wake up...but is that enough to survive until they figure out how?
Relationships: Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 66
Kudos: 550





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please read the tags on this one! These nightmares will deal with heavy things, but I wanted to make sure I tagged them all. Each chapter I'll give a warning about which nightmares appear, but it won't be easy on our boys. 
> 
> I've never read any comics with Nightmare. From my research I believe it was a comic with Doctor Strange and Spider-Man. Excuse me if anything is not canon to the comic. It’s my own spin on it all. 
> 
> This takes place in a universe where there was no civil war and they fixed the accords, fixed Bucky, all as a team and because they weren't split, they defeated Thanos easily.  
> EDIT: I literally had this doc titled after Taylor Swift's song Safe & Sound but when posting I used a completely different song for some reason? I have issues pls excuse them. Title changed from have faith in me

It was the Battle of New York all over again. It was the Chitauri. Steve knew it was. Despite it being years since then, Steve could still remember each and every last detail of their armor and tech thanks to a super soldier's memory. 

So the aliens they were fighting now...Steve knew they were the same. However, this time, there was no hole in the sky they were coming from. 

One second New York was going about it's normal day and then the next, the skies were full of aliens. 

Steve and Tony heard the screaming from the tower and FRIDAY played the news channel playing live footage of the attack. Steve thought he was back in time for a moment seeing the television until Tony grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. 

They were suited up and fighting in no time, along with Natasha, Clint, Sam, and Bucky. Thor and Bruce were both off-world together, but they could have really used the help. 

Steve was on the ground fighting alongside Bucky as Tony and Sam took the sky and shot down as many flying aliens as they could. Clint and Natasha were somewhere around taking care of these like they always did. 

Steve was trying to remember how they beat these things the last time. He didn't remember any weaknesses. They just kept killing them until the portal was closed. 

"Iron Man, do you have a visual on where they're all coming from?" Steve asked through the comms when he had a break from fighting. It only lasted a second before he had to knock out the next one charging him. 

"Negative, Cap. No more wormholes in the sky for me to fly a nuke through," Tony's voice crackled back through his ear piece and maybe to anybody else, he would have sounded like his usual snarky self but not to Steve. Steve was married to the man for over two years now, in love with him for over five; he knew him well enough to know he was scared. 

"Even if there was, you wouldn't be going through it," Steve said. 

"Don't worry. This time you've got me and the raccoon. Of course, we'll win." 

"I'm not a raccoon, bird brain," Bucky snapped as he choked out the nearest alien with his metal arm. 

"Can you two stop flirting and fight? We're already short a Hulk and god."

"But at least you're not short the other spider!" 

When the new voice responded to Natasha, Steve felt his heart drop into his stomach. There was one person that Steve didn't want anywhere near this and that was his kid. "Spider-Man, what are you doing here?" 

"Fighting a bunch of bad guys, duh!" Peter swung right by Steve and Bucky, into a swarm of more aliens. Steve knew Peter was strong and could handle his own, but this was different. He was still worried they were going to try taking Tony away from him again and now he had to worry about Peter too. 

"And what about school?" Tony asked, sounding just as worried. Great, all they needed was for both of them to be off their game worrying about Peter. 

"On lockdown! You know I can't stay still for very long." He laughed as he flipped through the air and webbed two of them together. 

"Fine-- just stay back and web them up. No getting close to them," Steve said, unable to keep the worry from his voice. He usually wasn't this overbearing when Peter assisted them, but now he couldn't help but feel petrified at the idea of losing his son or his husband in this fight. 

"Got it, Captain!" Peter chirped as he continued webbing any aliens that he could. 

The fight continued on, and Steve prepared for the worst. He thought it would last maybe hours. But it didn’t. It barely lasted a few more minutes after Peter arrived. Steve was so focused on making sure Peter wasn’t being pulled down from a web and Tony wasn’t falling from the sky (or flying into a wormhole) that he didn’t realize it was all over until he knocked out the Chitauri in front of him and no more took its place. 

He lost his ear piece a few moments ago when he was blasted across the face by a broken car door, wielded by a Chitauri. Glancing around the street, there was a distinct lack of gunfire and chaos. There was a silence. New York looked like it was just as much of a mess as it was in the last battle, but Steve didn’t care. 

He didn’t care that things were on fire, and cars were upside down, and buildings were destroyed, and every one of the Chitauri were suddenly gone. He didn’t care about anything but finding Tony and Peter. 

He ran through the rubble, right past Bucky who was trying to get his attention. “I’ve got to find them!” He yelled, flipping a car off of its side. He wasn’t sure why he looked under that particular car, expecting to see either of his boys. 

There was no sight of either of them in the 30 seconds he had been searching, and he was already shaking. 

It wasn’t until he heard the familiar sound of Tony’s suit did he stop some of his worrying. Tony landed in front of him and his mask lifted, revealing his own worried face. “Peter with you?”

Steve’s heart leapt into his throat. “No, I thought he’d be by you. I haven’t see him since…” Steve trailed off when he realized he didn’t know when was the last time he saw Peter. How long ago in the fight was that? Was that before or after he last saw Tony? Did something happen?

“Did you guys see that?!” A blob of red swung past them, flipped in the air, and then landed in front of them. The blob of red turned into the Spider-Man suit. “I was kicking ass up there!”

“Peter,” Tony said, letting out a loud breath of relief. “We were so worried.” 

Peter glanced between the two of them and even though they couldn’t see Peter’s face, they saw the way his eyes changed on the mask. “I was a little worried up there too, but I had it handled. Don’t worry.” 

Steve trusted his son in battle and usually, he wasn’t this anxious. He wanted to stop worrying. But he couldn’t. The worry stayed with him long after the battle ended. 

He knew Tony felt the same way no matter how many times Peter told them he was okay. Maybe that was just being a parent, or maybe...maybe it was something more. 

* * *

The battle was long over hours ago. Everyone was checked up in the infirmary and no one was hurt. They still weren't quite sure what was behind all of that, but it seemed to be over. 

There was no reason for him to be so shaken still. He'd fought worse before. But as Steve laid in bed that night, he still felt uneasy. 

Tony must have been too. "You can't sleep either?" 

Steve turned his head to look at him. He was curled up on his side, facing Steve. "Something feels wrong," he said, knowing that made zero sense. 

"You feel uneasy too?" He reached a hand towards Steve and Steve took it immediately. 

"Something about that battle shook me up," he admitted in a whisper. "I don't know what. Or why." 

"Maybe it's memories of the first battle with them? They were here then because of Thanos...kinda makes you wonder why they're back." 

"Thanos is gone," Steve said quickly. "He's not coming back." 

"No," Tony agreed, but Steve couldn't tell if he agreed completely. "But it still brings back the memories of everything that happened." 

Before Steve could reply to that, their bedroom door slammed open and Peter was rushing into their bed. He couldn't get between them fast enough. His breathing was labored as he struggled to hold back his whimpers. 

Steve was instantly on Papa Bear alert. His own fears didn't matter a bit when Peter was upset. He rubbed Peter's back as he tried to settle between them. "Hey, bear, you're okay." 

Peter shook his head, letting out a whine. 

Tony looked over him at Steve and they held a strong gaze for a moment. They weren't the only ones shaken up from today. "Do you want to talk about it, bambino?" 

Peter hooks his head even more. "No!" 

"Okay," Steve was quick to calm him down. "We'll just lay here with you. Feel like falling asleep again?" 

"Dunno. It was scary." 

"Nightmare, huh?" 

"Y-Yeah." 

Steve pressed a kiss to the top of his head as he wrapped his arms around him and Tony too. They were curled up in their signature Dad sandwich. "Well, Dad and Pops are here now," Steve promised. "We won't let anything hurt you." 

Peter relaxed in their hold and even Steve felt safer. Safe enough to close his eyes and fall asleep once he heard Tony and Peter's heavy breathing. 

When they were all together, he felt safe to let his guard down. And maybe that was the plan all along and that's why he didn't expect to get caught in the nightmares that were waiting. 

Literally. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If u remembered this as a different name, have faith in me, this is it. Basically i was dumb. I've had it titled as this new title on my doc for months. After Taylor swifts song. That's the song for this fic. Enjoy pain! 
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: panic attacks, torture, waterboarding, kidnapping, captivity, drowning

Steve knew before his eyes even opened he had to be stuck in a bad dream. It had to be a bad dream because Steve definitely didn't want this to be a reality. 

Peter was yelling-- no, he wasn't just yelling. He was  _ screaming.  _ "Help! I'm stuck! Please help!" 

Steve pushed himself up to his feet and ignored the rocks digging into his palms as he did so. There was something heavy on his legs that he easily pushed off. Nothing was going to hold him back from getting to Peter. Wherever the hell he was. 

He couldn't see around him. His feet kept tripping over piles of broken rock and cement. Every time Steve fell, he pushed himself right back up in a second flat and continued running towards the sound of Peter's cries. 

"Peter! I'm coming! I'll be right there--." He cut his shout short when he smacked into somebody else running toward Peter. He followed his first instinct. In a second, he had the person pinned down to the ground underneath him. If they were the reason his boy was screaming, they'd never get back up. 

"Steve! What the hell?!" 

That wasn't a threat. 

Steve immediately pulled his forearm off of the man's throat. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark, and he saw his husband staring up at him with wide eyes. "Tony?" 

"Steve, what's going on?" Tony asked as he got off of him and pulled him to his feet. 

"I don't know-- this is a nightmare. It has to be." 

Tony grabbed onto Steve's hand and squeezed it tightly. "This feels too real to be a nightmare." 

At that moment, Peter let out another pained scream. Steve took off running towards the sound, dragging Tony besides him. "It has to be a nightmare," he repeated.

Steve almost fell another few times, but Tony held him up. When Steve saw a giant pile of rubble and heard Peter's cries right by them, Steve let himself fall to the ground in front of him. Up close, he could see Peter sticking out of rubble from his shoulders and up, but the rest of him was covered. 

Peter was letting his head hang low and his arms were outstretched in front of him. Steve immediately grabbed one of his hands in his and Tony did the same with his other. 

"Peter, bud, are you okay?" 

"M'stuck. Can't move. Can't get out." Peter's breathing was quick and labored. 

"I'm gonna lift it off of you, okay?" Steve said, letting go of his hand when he saw Tony reach for it. He wanted both of Peter's hands to be held through this. 

Peter didn't seem to understand what he was saying and only shook his head. "No. It hurts. I'm stuck."

"I'm getting you out, Peter," Steve told him before standing up and going over to where the largest piece of rubble was on top of him. He grabbed onto it and lifted with all his might and-- it didn't move an inch. Steve paused and tried again. Still nothing. It felt as if it was bolted into the ground with reinforced vibranium nails. 

"Any luck, Steve?" Tony called out, panic evident in his voice. 

"It's not moving-- I can't get it off of him." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean that it's not moving!" Steve snapped even though he didn't mean to be upset with Tony at all. He was just scared because he could lift a stupid rock. He could lift a million stupid rocks if they were on top of his son.

Tony stopped soothing Peter for a moment to stare incredulously at Steve. "Why the hell not?" 

"Something's wrong, Tony," Steve said. "My strength-- this isn't right. We're supposed to be in bed. Safe in bed. We went to sleep." 

"We're not asleep anymore! Just lift!" Tony was letting Peter use his leg as a pillow to rest his head on while he used one hand to card his fingers through his dust covered hair.

"I-I don't like this," Peter said before he started panicking. "I'm being crushed! It's caving in on me!" 

Steve tried to calm him down as he shifted under the rubble. He wasn't sure what was going on under there and he didn't want to risk Peter hurting himself more. "Pete, you need to stop. I know it's scary, but if you shift too much, you can hurt yourself." 

"It already hurts," Peter said, crying openly now. "I want to get out!" 

"Just get him out!" Tony shouted, sounding just as panicked. 

That made Steve's heart beat twice as many times a minute it already was. He felt it pounding against his ribs, knocking against them with a force strong enough to crack them. 

He went back to attempting to lift the rocks off Peter. They didn't budge. 

But the rocks above them...those did. 

He heard the cracking before he understood what was going on. He froze and stared down at Tony, who was looking up at him. 

Then the cracking came back and then it all came crashing down. All of it. The entire ceiling of the cave. 

The last thing he saw was Tony's eyes widened. 

The last thing he heard was Peter's sob before it was cut short. So suddenly. Too suddenly. 

* * *

When Steve opened his eyes again, he was in a cave. It couldn't be the same one they were just in because that one crashed in on them. 

He didn't waste time bothering to see where the hell he was. He focused on one thing: his family. There next to him on the hard mattress were Tony and Peter. Steve didn't hesitate before wrapping his arms around Peter, tugging him close against his chest. 

Peter's hug wasn't as tight as it usually was. "P-Pops...can I have some space-- just-- the nightmare. I still feel stuck. I'm sorry."

Steve took no offense to his admission and pulled away. He settled on cupping his face and appreciating the fact that Peter was alive and breathing. 

"Baby, my baby bear...my precious boy." 

He leaned forward and leaned his forehead against Peter's as his eyes fluttered shut. He planned to keep them closed for a while until he heard Tony. 

"No. No. We can't be here. I can't be back." 

Steve pulled away from Peter to glance at his husband, who was staring ahead of him with eyes full of fear. He'd never seen them so terrified. Following Tony's gaze, he took in the cave they were in now. There were many candles along the wall to provide them with a piss poor job at lighting. In the middle of the cave, there were a few tables pushed together covered in blueprints, tools, and machinery. It looked like one of Tony's tables in his lab.

He looked back to Tony. "I don't get it. What's going on? We were just in a crumbling cave and now we're in here." 

"This is my worst nightmare. You two can't be here-- you have to go!" Tony pushed Peter towards Steve, but they couldn't go anywhere. Their ankles were all chained up to the metal frame of the cot they were squeezed onto.

Steve didn't understand. First, Peter was panicking and now Tony was. Both in caves. But  _ why?  _

He got his answer when three men came storming in. They were speaking a language Steve couldn't understand. Tony seemed to understand what they wanted without knowing the language. 

"Please don't touch them!" 

The man came storming over to Tony, not paying any mind to Steve or Peter. One undid his ankle chains while another held his arms back. The last one, who seemed to be the leader, spoke again. This time in English with a heavy accent. "You were supposed to finish the Jericho! You know the consequences if you don't listen!"

They started to drag Tony away from the cot as he begged them not to touch Steve or Peter. Steve just noticed that he had ro hold a car battery now as he was moved away. The car battery was attached to his chest. 

That's when Steve realized what this was. This was  _ the cave.  _ The cave that Tony was kidnapped and held in for three months. 

But how? How was he back here? How were all of them back here?

The men shoved Tony to the ground in front of a rusty metal basin that Steve couldn't remember sitting there a moment ago. 

He was shaking his head, begging them to stop. "Don't do this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" 

Peter jumped off the cot, but the chain yanked him backwards. Steve didn't catch him before he hit the ground because he was still too focused on trying to figure out what the hell was going on. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. 

Steve's heavy gaze drifted from Tony to Peter. His son was crying again as he reached for Tony. "Stop! You're going to electrocute him!" 

One of the men started to come over to Peter and that was enough for Steve to shake himself from his daze. He was rough with Peter, but dragged him away from the man before he could grab him. 

"Pops, they're going to hurt him!" 

"They'll hurt you too!" 

"But Dad--." 

Peter was cut off by the splashing of water and Tony's choked out shout. Steve pulled Peter against his chest so he wouldn't have to see it. He brought his mouth close to his ears and started to hum so maybe he wouldn't hear Tony as much. 

He started to cry and even Steve felt his throat closing up. 

The man lifted Tony up again and he sputtered out a cough, trying to get all the water from him mouth. He sucked in a large breath and gasped. "Don't look-- Steve-- don't--." 

Then he was shoved back under the water. 

"Stop!" Steve shouted. "Please let him go!" 

Steve didn't understand why this was happening. It had to be dreams. Incredibly vivid nightmares, more like. But why was Steve living through Peter and Tony's nightmares? 

"He needs to pay!" The man shouted as he lifted Tony's head up before slamming it back down. 

Steve couldn't help it when he squeezed his eyes when they shoved his head under water again. 

There was a splash, a shout, and then nothing. 

* * *

Steve's eyes were open, but it was dark. And it was cold. It was freezing. He realized he was floating not long after, but it took him another moment to realize he was floating underwater. 

Cold, freezing water. 

Immediately, he started thrashing. 

He shouted for someone to save him, but all that came out were violent bubbles. He tried to swim, not knowing which way was up and which way was down. 

After a few long seconds, he broke through water and gasped for fresh air. This was how Tony felt. Steve looked around, and all he saw was icy waters. He was struggling to keep himself above the water and soon, he was below. 

He stayed under there and was once again lost in the ups and downs. He was sure he was seconds from drowning when all of a sudden, something was yanking him out of the water. 

Steve gasped and spit out water from his mouth and grabbed at whatever was pulling him out of the icy waves. It was strong and sticky webs...Steve knew webs that strong could only come from one person. 

He followed the webs back to where he was Peter standing at the edge of an island of ice. He was in shorts and a t-shirt. It was too cold for him here. But he had his web shooters on, like always, and he was desperately trying to pull Steve towards him. 

"Pops! I've got you!" 

Steve couldn't even say a word back. He was struggling too much with keeping his head above water. He held on tightly, waiting for Peter to pull him to safety. 

But before he could, the webbing snapped and Steve was flying backwards into the water. He wasn't sure what was so powerful about this water, but it was dragging him under relentlessly. 

He came back up only to be immediately thrown back under from the force of a wave. He didn't close his mouth before he was swallowing a mouthful of water. 

He tried coughing it out, but he panicked and only took in another mouthful of water. He kicked his legs and reached around for something, anything. Part of him was waiting for Peter to web him out of the water again. He was waiting for his son to save him. 

But he didn't. 

Instead, just when he thought his lungs were going to fill up with water and he was going to drown, two metal hands enclosed around his wrists and pulled him up. 

Steve opened his eyes and saw Tony's Iron Man mask looking down at him. He could cry. Tony was his hero. He always came to his rescue. 

"T- Tony," he said through chattering teeth.

Tony sounded just as scared as he was. "I'm trying, babe." 

He was struggling to lift Steve out of the water, despite the fact that he was wearing his suit. It should be easy, but Steve was slipping back under the water. 

Tony was coming down with him. 

Steve couldn't let that happen. 

He'd let himself die in pitch black with ice water filling his lungs alone,  _ again,  _ before he ever dragged Tony down with him. 

"I'm sorry," Steve said before letting go and falling back into the freezing waters. 

The last thing he heard was Tony screaming before the roaring waters swallowed him whole. 

Steve was leaving his love behind again. Both of them. 

* * *

Steve still felt the chill. He wasn't drowning anymore, but he still felt just as frozen. Then again, sometimes he still felt frozen from falling in the ice over 70 years ago. 

He looked around the dark room-- well, pitch black room was more like it. He couldn't even see a floor or walls. 

But he could see Tony and Peter. They were as clear as day in the darkness. 

That was all Steve ever needed to see. 

He hurried forward to them, crawling on his hands and knees. Tony met him halfway and pulled him in for a hug with a kiss pressed to his cheek. 

"Tony, Tony, Tony,  _ babydoll."  _

"I'm here, Steve," Tony whispered back in a shaky voice. 

"What's happening? What's going on?" Peter's voice was close to tears. He needed Tony and Steve to be strong. 

Steve kept a hand on Tony but turned towards Peter. He becokened him forward and Peter crawled over immediately. 

Pulling him in, Steve kissed the top of his head. His curls were wet but with sweat and not ice water. He was terrified. This was how he sounded after nightmares. 

Nightmares. The rubble. The cave. The water. 

"I don't know what's wrong, but it's going to be okay," Steve promised. 

Laughter erupted in the quiet room. The laughter didn't belong to any of them and in a quick panic, Steve shoved Peter behind him. 

"Isn't that sweet? Hide him from me all you want, but it won't be enough. Nothing can hide him, or any of you, from me." 

Steve puffed his chest out and growled. "Who the hell are you?" 

The man-- or creature was more accurate because he looked like a man, but his skin was too pale to be human. It was sickly gray. It was a stark contrast against his black hair and his bright green suit. Not a regular suit though like Tony wore to meetings. It was like a costume off of a movie set. 

If Steve didn't feel terrified just staring at him, maybe he'd laugh.

"I think you know exactly who I am, Captain Rogers." 

Steve shared an uneasy glance with Tony. It was never good when the bad guys knew your name off the bat. 

"Just like I know who you are. All three of you." His gaze lingered on each of them. "I know everything about you. Every little thought in your mind. Every memory. It's mine too." 

"Who are you?" Tony repeated Steve's question. 

"I'm Nightmare. Your worst nightmares, really. I create fear in people and that fear gives me power. I knew you three would be perfect after that fight. Followed you home and the fear lingering in your minds was  _ delicious."  _

"I had a nightmare. I woke up and ran to my dads." 

Nightmare smiled, showing off a set of sharpened teeth. "Yes, you did, little one. I didn't want to trap you just yet. Not until I had all three of you ready to sleep." 

"What the hell does that mean?" Steve shouted to get the attention off of Peter. 

"It means that you're stuck. You're trapped in your own nightmares. Unless you can wake up." Nightmare drummed his fingers against each other. "And I don't know about you guys, but I'm very excited to see just how...scary...these nightmares can get." 

And then, as quickly as Steve awoke in the room, it all disappeared. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this chapter includes child abandonment that is definitely not written accurately but I don't really care because it's a fake situation within a fanfiction, talks about death, mentions of major character deaths that are temporary and not real because it's in a dream, and car accidents.

Now that Steve knew they were stuck in a nightmare scenario, it made it just a little easier to deal with. He knew they were all together and this wasn't real. He wasn't sure why they were trapped and why Nightmare needed them to be. 

Maybe he just enjoyed it. 

This time when he came to, he tried to figure out what was going on around him. Whosoever's dream this was needed comforting. 

They were in a courtroom. Steve was dressed in a nice suit as was Tony, who was seated next to him. He didn't see Peter right away. Not until he turned his head and saw him sitting behind an identical table on the opposite side of the room. 

He looked over at Steve just as he turned his head and their eyes met. He saw the confusion in Peter's eyes that was no doubt in Steve's as well. Steve gave him what he hoped was a comforting smile. Peter was far, but he still wanted to ease his worrying. 

Last time, Peter's nightmare was first. So if Nightmare followed the same pattern, then this was Peter's hell. 

"Mr. and Mr. Rogers-Stark, thank you for coming out today," the judge said, though his voice was cold. When he turned to Peter, it was much more gentle. Steve was glad for that. "Good afternoon, Peter. How are you doing today?" 

"Um," Peter started, glancing over at Steve briefly before he focused his attention on the judge. "I'm alright. A bit confused though." 

"I can understand that, son." The judge shook his head sadly. "We'll continue on with today so that you can get started with the next step of your life." 

"O-okay-- am, am I in trouble, sir?" Peter was fidgeting in his seat nervously. Steve wanted to take his hands in his own and calm him down. 

“Not at all, son. It’s going to be okay.” 

Tony stood up, unable to stop his own worrying. “If he’s in any sort of trouble, then I can get the best lawyers in the world to defend him.” 

Steve didn’t know why Peter’s nightmare involved them in a courtroom, on separate sides, but just like Tony, he would do anything to calm him down. 

However, the judge did not like that idea. He whipped his head to glare at Tony. “Sit down, sir! Your time to help is long past over. Please sit back down so we can get this over with and this poor boy can move on.” 

“W-What?” Tony asked as Steve pulled him down to the chair. 

The judge was giving them a hard glare as he asked, “Do you both still agree to sign over  _ all  _ parental rights for Peter Parker? You will not be required to have any visitations or financial responsibilities. He will be put into a group home as a ward of the state.” 

_ Wait, what?  _ No! Steve wanted to scream and protest against that because there was no way in hell that he wanted to get rid of his son. But when he opened his mouth, the opposite came out, “Yes, your honor.” 

Tony gasped next to him and from across the room, Peter shouted out, “Pops!” 

“Well, then it’s settled here. As of now, Tony and Steve, you are no longer the parents of Peter Parker.” The judge hit his gavel against the top of his desk and then a man was patting Steve and Tony on their shoulders. 

“Congrats, you two. No more having to worry about that burden!” Steve didn’t recognize him, but he looked put together. Like a lawyer. And his voice was loud enough for Peter to hear across the room. 

Steve whirled around to look at him and he was crying. Tears were pouring down his cheeks as he stared over at them, looking absolutely wrecked. He tried reaching for them, but he was pulled away by his own man in a suit. This man shot him a dirty look before turning to soothe Peter. 

They deserved this. If Tony and Steve were truly giving up their son because they thought he was a burden, then they deserved these dark looks. But that wasn’t true. Steve and Tony didn’t want to give up their baby boy. He would fight to his own death to keep Peter, but now, he couldn’t say a word. 

_ These damn nightmares.  _

The man started to usher Steve and Tony from their seats and down the aisle. Peter was crying and he was calling their names. But they couldn’t stop as they were pushed out of the courtroom. His boy was crying and he wasn’t comforting him-- he was running away from him. That wasn’t him. 

He tried fighting against the invisible strings controlling his moves. But when he fought too hard, it all went black and Peter’s cries disappeared.

  
  


* * *

When Steve was no longer surrounded by darkness, Peter’s crying didn’t return. Steve felt like crying from the pain he was in, but he didn’t. His head was pounding and even opening his eyes slightly hurt like hell, but he needed to figure out what the hell was going on. 

He felt something squeezing his chest and when he used his weak hand to pull at the seatbelt that was keeping him in place. He groaned and turned his head to try and see what he was happening. 

It didn’t take long for him to realize he was in a car that was part of an accident. The windshield was cracked and the car was on its roof. Steve turned his head to the passenger seat and saw Peter. This had him more alert than when it was just him. Peter was buckled in as well, thankfully, but he was unconscious, so his legs, arms, and head dangled. 

"Fuck," he cursed, reaching out to feel for a pulse. After a long moment of pressing his fingers against Peter's neck, he felt a faint pulse. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, even if this wasn't real. He didn't want to live through a nightmare where Peter was dead. 

_ "Steve, is that you?" _ Tony's voice crackled through the speakers of the car. 

He blinked his eyes, trying to keep the trail of blood from getting in his left eye. "Tony, what the hell?"

_ "I'm in a suit! It's bringing me to coordinates with an emergency alert blaring."  _

"It's me and Pete," Steve said, glancing over to Peter. This was Tony's nightmare. "We're in a car accident, it seems." 

Tony's voice sounded horrified.  _ "A car accident?" _

"Yeah. I'm-- Peter's unconscious next to me, but his heart is beating and he's breathing." He heard Tony's breathing start to pick up in sharp wheezes. "Tony, it's okay. It's not real. We'll be okay." 

_ "I can't lose you-- I can't do this again!"  _

Again. Car accident. Of course. Tony's nightmare was losing two more loved ones in a car accident. That's why Tony always drove the car...because he must have felt some sort of control when he was the one behind the wheel. 

Even the thought of Steve behind the one driving when Peter was in the car for the accident churned his stomach. But he couldn't freak out. He had to keep Tony calm until this shit was over. 

"We're alright. It's just a nightmare, Tony."

_ "You don't sound alright! You're slurring your words-- and Peter is unconscious! Is he okay? Is he hurt?"  _

Steve was slurring his words? He didn't even realize. He knew Peter was bleeding from his own head wound and so was Steve, but he didn't know how bad. "How far out are you?"  _ How long does this have to last? _

_ "I don't know!"  _ There was a pause for a short moment before Tony spoke again,  _ "The HUD in the suit looks like I'm almost 15 minutes away."  _

Steve glanced over at Peter again, his vision darkening at the edges. He hated hearing Peter crying in the other dream, but at least, it was a sign that he was  _ alive.  _ He couldn't say for how long that was going to last in this dream. 

He didn't know how long  _ he  _ was going to stay awake, even. 

_ "Steve, are you there? Steve!"  _

Steve groaned, Tony's yelling pulling him from his own nightmare thoughts. "M'here." 

_ "Steve, I don't know if I'm going to make it in time. I can't do this. It's not going any faster."  _

Steve blinked his eyes slowly. "You're not going to, baby." 

_ "What? What do you mean?"  _

"This is a nightmare, Tony. It's not real. It's just meant to be your worst nightmares. You're not going to make it. You were never going to make it." 

_ "Don't say that, Steve. Don't say that please."  _

Steve squeezed his eyes shut because he couldn't stand looking at Peter anymore and it hurt to even keep them open. "Listen to me, sweetheart. It's going to be okay. I'm going to fall asleep soon. I don't know how long until you're out of the nightmare after that. But remember it's just a dream and I love you. I love you  _ so much."  _

_ "Don't leave me! Please!"  _

"I love you," Steve said one more time before he gave into the darkness around him.

  
  


* * *

Steve opened his eyes to a room full of people. He had been to enough of these to know he was at a wake. Part of him thought it was his own. He had felt his heart stop beating in that crashed car. 

It was difficult to remember that these were only dreams. They all felt so damn real. 

There were rows of chairs, all facing a casket in the front of the room. The sorrow in the room was so tangible that Steve could feel it suffocating him. 

Everyone was dressed in black and held used tissues in their hands. Whoever in the front of the room was surely missed and loved by many people. 

Steve didn't recognize anyone in the room as he slowly made his way up to the front. He was a little scared to see who had passed, but this was a nightmare. He had to face it. 

He just wished he knew where Peter and Tony were during this. 

He didn't believe that it could be either Peter or Tony in there because Steve would have recognized at least one face in the crowd. Their friends were nowhere to be seen. 

This couldn't be for Tony or Peter. 

He continued to the front and tried to ignore all of the pitiful stares he was getting. It had to be someone important to Steve. That's why this was a nightmare. 

He held his breath as he looked in the casket and saw an older man, probably in his 80s or 90s. Steve didn't recognize him and it definitely wasn't Peter or Tony. 

He continued staring down at him, trying to figure out who the hell that was, until a hand was on his arm. "I'm so sorry, Steve." 

Steve frowned as he turned and looked at the woman that was now standing next to him. She was holding a small child in her arms as she was crying steadily. 

Whoever was in there meant more to her than him. Despite the familiarity, he had no clue who it could be. Anyone from his life before the ice was already gone. 

"I'm sorry for you as well," Steve replied, wishing he could comfort the woman more. 

That only made her cry harder though. A man, who Steve assumed was her husband, came over and took the child from her arms. "I've got him, Sarah. Don't worry about him." 

Sarah used her now free hands to wipe at her eyes as she sobbed. She looked down at the casket and cried, "I miss you so much, Daddy." 

Steve's heart broke. That was her father in there. Of course, she was suffering more than he was. This was her nightmare. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close even if he didn't know her. She squeezed him tightly and soaked his shirt with her tears. 

After a few minutes, she looked back towards the casket and sniffled. "I've got Pops right here. Taking care of me like always. Just like he promised you he would." 

That made Steve freeze. 

_ Pops.  _

_ Sarah.  _

Steve looked down at the man...he'd recognize that face anywhere, even with all the wrinkles, and his hair might not have been brown any more but it was still just as curly. 

"No…" Steve whispered, feeling his throat closing up and his heart beating fast. "This isn't right." 

Sarah looked up at him and looked seconds from sobbing again. "He's with Harry now. He's happy." 

Harry. Peter and Harry. Peter and Harry and Sarah. Sarah Maria-- that was the name that Peter said he was going to give his daughter after he married Harry. 

But why was Peter like that? Why was he old and why was Steve still here? He shouldn't outlive his child. No parent should outlive their child.

Steve let go of Sarah-- his granddaughter, God-- and hurried over to the poster board by all of the flower arrangements. It was decorated with different photos. 

Steve's panic only increased more when he saw it all. There were pictures of Peter. Peter with Tony and Steve. Peter with Harry. Peter with his daughter. Peter with his granddaughter. 

Peter lived a long and happy life, and that's all Steve could ever hope for him. But there was something wrong about the pictures. 

Everyone aged throughout them all. 

Everyone except for Steve. 

Steve looked down at his hands and saw how they still looked the same as they did the day he got the serum. He looked back up at the pictures and found one of him with Tony and Peter. Peter was an adult and Tony was old and using a cane. But Steve...Steve was still as young as ever. 

His family was growing old without him. 

Tony turned gray while Steve stayed blond. 

Tony grew wrinkled and old without Steve. Steve had to watch him slowly pass while staying 100% healthy. And then he had done that process all over again for Peter. His own son. His baby boy. 

And he would do it over again and again for everyone. His granddaughter. His great-grandson. Every new child to follow. 

Steve would say goodbye to them all while staying this young forever. 

Steve stumbled back from the pictures and immediately felt self conscious. Everyone was staring at him. He was as young and handsome and healthy as ever while his son was gone. His son was dead. 

He had to live on without the love of his life and his baby. 

He couldn't. 

He rushed out of that room and ignored everyone that called after him. He ran outside into the stupidly sunny day and didn't stop running until he was on the other side of the parking lot. 

By the time he fell to his knees, he was sobbing hysterically. He didn't know who he was screaming to-- God or Nightmare-- but he screamed as loud as his lungs would let him. "Give them back! You bastard! Give them back!" 

Nothing changed or happened even with his screaming and cussing. He stayed in that spot and sobbed. His screaming died out when his throat couldn't handle it anymore. 

He was leaning forward, the pebbles on the asphalt digging into his palms as he struggled to breathe through his sobbing. "Please," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please give them back…I can't-- I don't want to do this without them." 

* * *

Maybe the screaming worked or maybe it was time for the nightmare to end. But either way, he was out of it now. 

Out of the nightmares and in the darkness. 

His cheeks were still wet from the last nightmare. He turned around, and Peter and Tony were right there. He fell into them both and pulled them into a hug. "Oh, my God." 

"I don't want to go back!" Peter yelled, his fingers digging into Steve's back. 

"You're not," Steve promised, kissing his cheek. "I'm not letting you go anywhere. Neither will Tony." 

"He's right," Tony said before he began to press his fingers against Peter's neck and then Steve's. "You're both okay." 

"We are," Steve confirmed. "No car accident. We're okay." He looked to Peter, relieved to see him conscious and awake and alive. 

"And you're okay," Tony whispered. "Remember when you found that gray hair in the mirror?"

Steve felt almost embarrassed. "You saw that?" 

"Yeah. We were watching from above." 

"That...that was a bad one," Steve said in a low voice. 

"I know, baby. I know." Tony used his thumb to wipe away the tears from his cheeks. He kissed his lips softly.

Nightmare's loud laughter broke them apart. "Isn't this fun?"

Steve turned around and shoved Peter and Tony behind him. "Are you done yet?" 

"Done?" He repeated incredulously. "Look at me! I'm only getting started!" 

Steve could see that he was larger and louder now. If it was like any of the comic books Peter read, that probably meant he was stronger now. "What more could you want from us?" Steve implored. "I don't get it. I don't understand what you get from all of this!" 

"I get to have fun! I get to see you all at your worst." His grin turned even more sinister. "And you know what? The next round of nightmares are my personal favorites." 

"We're done with your game!" Tony shouted, peering over Steve's shoulder. "Get us the hell out of here." 

"You're very protective of each other." Nightmare said, his smirk making Steve sick. "But what if you knew about things that you kept hidden? Things that you'd be ashamed of your family knowing?" 

Steve didn't think he kept any secrets from Tony. Some, of course, from Peter because there were things he didn't need to worry about as a child. But what could Nightmare dredge up? 

"You're not going to tear us apart. It's been tried before. No luck." Tony growled. 

"I don't want to tear you apart. I want to make you scared. Terrified. Whatever else comes from the fears...well that's just a bonus." 

"Pops, Dad…" Peter sounded afraid and Steve hated that. He hated someone making his son so terrified without any hope of Steve getting them out of here.

"No matter what happens, you're going to be okay," Tony said softly. "Pops and I will be right here." 

Peter was shaking. 

"Dad's right, bear. It's okay." He pressed a kiss to the top of his head and didn't pull back his lips, even as the darkness grew and they were thrown back into the worst nightmares that could be conjured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my favorites are coming up :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter include: implied/referenced sexual abuse to a minor, imprisonment, dehumanizing mutants, implied/referenced abuse to a spouse and child, abuse to a spouse and a minor in a dreamscape.

When Steve was aware of where they were again, it was in a bedroom. It wasn't Peter's bedroom in the tower, but still, Steve looked around once and he  _ knew  _ this was Peter's room. 

There were  _ Star Wars  _ posters all over the wall, Legos scattered around the floor, and an Iron Man bedspread. 

"Cute blanket, kid," Tony teased from behind him.

Steve turned around and saw Tony and Peter both looking around the room in confusion. He focused on Peter. "What is this?" 

Peter looked at him helplessly, but Steve could see the obvious fear in his eyes. "I-I dunno." 

He was lying. Steve knew his son. He also knew that whatever fear this was was a bad one. 

"What's this?" Tony asked and Peter's head snapped so fast to look at him, he thought it would snap. 

Tony was holding up a picture drawn obviously by a child. Steve saw Iron Man holding a small child with crayons. 

"That's, uh, you saving me…" 

Steve's heart was racing. What was wrong in this dream? What was Tony saving him from? This has to be a memory if Peter knew what was around them. Nightmare had told them that these were memories. Ones they wanted to keep hidden. 

"Peter. What's wrong here?" Steve wasn't even sure what to guess his nightmare was. This was a child's room. A baby's room. The only nightmares that should exist here should only be imaginary monsters in his closet. 

"It's nothing." He glanced around and his eyes settled on the door. It was shut and locked. Peter noticed this too. Steve watched as the color drained from his face. "It's locked." 

Tony glanced over as well. He was starting to look nervous. "That's good. Keeps things out."

Steve saw that comment make Peter get even more anxious. "Yes. But it also keeps us in." 

Peter let out a small nod at that. Steve hit that nail right on the head. "The door isn't supposed to be locked." 

"We can unlock it," Steve said, hoping that that would be okay. 

It wasn't okay. Peter didn't even hear him. He was already rushing towards the door and yanking on the doorknob. 

"Pete--." 

"Let us out! Stop it!" He screamed up at the ceiling and Steve took a step back, his heart racing. Peter wasn't scared. He was petrified. 

"Bubba," Tony said, coming over to him. "You're okay." 

Peter raised his hand, stopping Tony from getting too close. His hand was shaking. "Don't touch me!" 

Tony pulled his hand back quickly and hesitated as he glanced back at Steve. Steve shrugged his shoulders. Tony tried again, but this time, he didn't touch him. "It's just be, baby. It's Dad. I'm going to take your hand." 

Peter didn't jerk away, but he flinched slightly as Tony held his hand. Peter stared down at his feet as his shoulders started to shake. 

Steve wasn't sure what had his son reacting like this, but whatever it was, Steve was going to make sure Peter knew he was safe here. And it was never going to hurt him again. 

"I don't want him to come back," he whispered, his voice thick with tears. 

"He's not coming back," Tony assured him. Which Steve agreed with, but he was a little more interested in knowing  _ who  _ he didn't want to come back. 

Thankfully, FRIDAY answered that question for them. Even though FRIDAY was never installed in Peter's room when he was this young. "Sirs, Skip is on his way." Steve watched as Peter flinched even harder. "He forgot his backpack and is coming to get it. He will be late for class and seems very anxious." 

Steve's eyes darted around the room and they landed on a backpack on the floor. That couldn't be Peter's. That was too big for him. 

Peter must have looked for it too because when Steve leaped for it, he shouted out, "Pops, no!" 

"What's in here, Peter? Who is Skip?" He held it tightly but didn't unzip it yet. Part of him was too frightened to know what was inside. 

"H-he was my babysitter. When I was a kid." 

Steve nodded his head because he had guessed this much already, "So this is a memory?" 

"Kinda," Peter replied, his eyes still on the backpack. They were glassy. "He didn't get caught like this. He never was so careless." 

"Peter, either you tell me what is in here or I take a look myself." Steve waited for an answer. He didn't want to completely ignore his right for privacy, but this was different. Much different. 

Peter opened his mouth, but then immediately closed it. He paused a second before opening it again and admitting, "I can't say it." 

"So I'm going to look," Steve said, taking a seat on the bed. He noticed Peter hide his face in Tony's chest. Steve hated that he had to do this and make Peter face whatever this was. But the sooner they did, the sooner they could get out of here. 

After taking a deep breath, Steve placed the backpack on his lap and unzipped it. He didn't want to look inside because now, he was still ignorant and ignorance truly was bliss. But he knew he couldn't waste anymore time so he just dumped whatever was in the backpack on his bed. 

Steve picked up the first thing, which was just a textbook and put it to the side. A moment later he wished he hadn't. 

Underneath the textbook was a magazine meant for only adults. Steve scrambled to flip it over because even he felt uncomfortable staring at it, knowing his son and husband were right behind him. 

But that wasn't the only one. There were three more just like it. Steve didn't even want to know what he kept on that laptop. 

"Peter," Steve said, struggling to keep his voice steady and calm. "Do you know about these magazines?"

"He made me! I didn't want to! He said that I had to because we were friends and he played all my games so I had to play his!" Peter was sobbing now, still hiding his face in Tony's chest. 

Steve let those words sink in and he realized what they meant. His son, his baby boy was sexually abused as a young kid. "How old were you?" 

"Started when I was 8. He left for college a year later."

A year. Peter endured it for a year. He'd been holding it in. Steve wasn't sure if the thought made him want to cry or vomit. Maybe both. 

"Did you ever tell anyone?"

"He said I couldn't. If I did, then May and Ben would be mad at me and they'd think I was disgusting." Peter sniffled loudly and Steve could hear the shame in his voice. As if he believed that. And he probably did. "I-I was such a hard kid after my parents died, Pops. And-- and then Skip...I was even worse. I didn't want them to get rid of me."

Steve shoved the pornography away from him as he stood up and walked over to Tony and Peter. Peter tried to hide himself further in Tony's hold. "Peter, look at me." 

"No," Peter mumbled, refusing to move. 

"Peter Benjamin, look at me.  _ Please."  _

This time, Peter turned around and looked up at him with pink tinged cheeks. Steve took Peter's face in his hands and gently cupped his cheeks so that they were holding eye contact. He even squatted slightly so their eyes were level.

"Your Aunt May and Uncle Ben would not have been mad at you and they would not have been disgusted with you and they  _ definitely  _ would not have gotten rid of you." 

A tear trailed down Peter's face and Steve used a thumb to wipe it away. Peter sniffled and asked in a low voice, "But how do you know?" 

Despite the situation, Steve couldn't help but smile. "Because you were their baby. Just like you're mine now. They loved you just as much as Dad and I do. Neither of us are mad at you. Neither of us think you're disgusting. Neither of us are going to get rid of you." 

"Really?" 

"You're our boy, sweetie. We'd be lost without you." 

"Even though I'm-- dirty?" 

Steve didn't want to hear this. He pulled Peter from Tony's arms into his and squeezed him tight before pressing his lips to the top of his head. 

Peter pulled back to make a face up at him, but Steve took this opportunity to press another kiss to his forehead and then his cheek and then his other cheek. 

"You are not dirty at all. Knowing this doesn't make me think any less of you. I just think you're even stronger now." 

"I didn't want anyone to ever know because…" Peter trailed off, not because he didn't know, but probably because there were so many reasons not to tell anyone. 

"Well, you don't have to hide it anymore. And if it ever bothers you, then you can talk to either one of us. We're here for you without a single judgement in the world." 

Peter wiped his eyes, looking a little less miserable. "Really?" 

"Absolutely." He kissed Peter one more time before pulling away. "But before this son of a bitch pulls us outta here, there's one thing I have to do." 

"What?" Peter asked, a flicker of fear flashing through his eyes again. 

Steve didn't answer him and instead, turned to the ceiling and asked, "FRIDAY, is Skip here yet?" 

_ "He is currently waiting in the hall outside the apartment."  _

Steve grinned. "Good." He walked around Tony and Peter and twisted the lock and then opened the door. He ignored Peter shouting after him as he stormed down the hallway. This wasn't the tower. This was obviously May and Ben's apartment from almost a decade ago and Steve would have loved to stop and look at all the baby pictures of Peter hanging up. But he had something important to do. 

He heard feet chasing after him and he heard Peter begging him not to let Skip in. "Sorry, Pete. I can't do that. Tony, stay with him. Don't come into the living room." 

He got to the front door finally and threw open the door. There was a teenager standing out front and he looked about Peter's age now, but that meant he was this old when Peter was just a baby. 

"Steve, hey--." 

"Get inside."

Skip looked anxious as he stepped inside. His eyes darted around the room, looking for something. When they didn't fall on anything, he seemed to look relieved. "I just have to go grab my backpack before I'm late to class."

Steve grabbed his arm so he couldn't go past him. He grabbed on hard enough to make his arm bruise. "You're not going anywhere." 

"Steve," Skip started as his face paled. "What's wrong?" 

He had to know. There was no other reason for Steve to be so angry. But even if he didn't have a clue, Steve wasn't telling. Instead, he reared his fist back and sent it flying into Skip's face. 

Skip couldn't go far because Steve still had his arm in a tight hold. So he punched him again. This time, blood came spurting out. 

After that, Steve sent punch after punch and even a few kicks too until he was down on the ground, sobbing in pain. "P-please stop!" 

"Is that what my son asked you to do? To please stop?" Steve leaned over and grabbed his bleached hair in his hand and lifted him up. "Did you listen?"

Skip only let out a pathetic whimper. 

"Did you fucking listen?" He whispered, shaking Skip by his head. 

"N-no! I didn't! But I'm sorry-- I'm sorry!" He was folding his hands now, begging for mercy. Steve hoped Peter was watching this and saw how pathetic Skip really was. 

"I don't like bullies," he said, matter of factly. "And you're the worst kind." 

He didn't want to stop, but he turned around and turned back to Peter and Tony. Tony was holding him close and Steve gave him a small smile. Peter's eyes were staring down at Skip, still wide with terror. 

Steve cupped his cheeks and tilted his head up to look at him. "Hey, don't look at him, bud."

Peter's tear filled eyes met Steve's and his lip was quivering. "You stopped him…" 

"I did. He's gone. He's done. When we wake up and we're back in the real world, I'll stop him again." Steve kept his hands gentle but firm on Peter's cheeks. 

"W-why couldn't someone have stopped him then?" Peter asked, his voice breaking before he broke down to sobs. 

Steve knew he couldn't change the past, but God, he wished he could. All he could do was stop the pain  _ now.  _ "I'm sorry, bud. I'm so sorry." 

He pulled both him and Tony into a strong hug, holding them tight as the scene around them turned to darkness.

  
  


* * *

When Steve could see again, they were no longer in his arms. 

The place wasn't familiar. It couldn't be a memory. Not like Peter's-- God, Peter's…nothing could be worse than that. Not even whatever hell was waiting for Steve's turn could be worse than Skip. 

Steve was going to find him in the real world and he was going to kill him. 

But he had to get out of here before he did that.

Here meaning this collection of nightmares, but also this glass cell he was being held in. 

Steve didn't know where this was, but this was also not his nightmare. It was Tony's. Maybe he would know why Steve was captive with his wrists chained to the wall above his head. 

He wasn't around to ask. Steve was alone in the cell with only a cot and a toilet in the room. 

Since the walls were all glass around him, he was able to glance around. Though he wished he hadn't. There was a cell on either side of him; one was empty, but the other wasn't. 

Tony wasn't in there, but Peter was. 

Peter wasn't chained to the wall by his wrists. No. Peter was in a straight jacket with his ankles chained to the ground. There was a thick collar around his neck and when Steve swallowed past the lump in his throat at the sight, he realized he had one too. 

He wasn't sure if Peter could hear him, but he screamed anyway. "Peter!" 

Peter's head snapped towards the wall connected to Steve's and his eyes widened. Steve could see the clear fear in them as tears trailed down his cheeks. God, he probably wasn't over his own nightmare yet before being thrown into this. 

"Papa!" He tried to come towards the wall, but he lost his balance and fell forward on his face. He couldn't get back up without the use of his hands and he couldn't even crawl any further because of the chains keeping him in one place. 

Steve tried to close the distance as well, but he couldn't go any further than the chains would allow. When he was stopped, he yanked as hard as he could on them. They didn't budge. 

"Don't worry, bud. We're going to get out of here. This isn't real. You're okay," Steve settled on reassuring him from too far away. 

Peter nodded but didn't seem like he really believed it. 

_ "How are my boys today? Are we behaving?"  _ A voice over an intercom system crackled, causing both of them to jump. 

Steve glared up at the ceiling. "Who are you and what the hell do you want from us?" 

_ "Silence or else you don't get your visitor. Do you want to be thrown into isolation? Just you and four white walls for days. Does that sound fun?"  _

"We deserve answers!" Steve started jerking against the chains again even though he knew nothing was going to happen. 

_ "You know,"  _ the voice continued,  _ "with you in isolation, we'll have a lot of time to spend with your...boy. Is that what you want?"  _

"Stay away from him!" Steve roared. The idea of anyone being alone with Peter had him more angry than usual after learning about his babysitter. 

_ "Then behave. I'm coming in with a guest and if you don't listen, I'll send him home and you won't see him until you get your visiting rights back in a few months."  _

Steve went silent after that. This wasn't real. He just had to keep reminding himself that. They just had to get through this. 

Two minutes after the voice stopped speaking, he heard footsteps walking towards their cells along with the most beautiful sound in the world: Tony's voice. 

"Ross, what the hell did you do with them?" 

"Come take a look." That was the voice again. Except this time, it had a face along with it. A face that Steve loathed to recognize. Secretary Ross. 

Tony was there too, dressed to kill as usual in his three piece Tom Ford. His wide eyes were not part of his stoic face. "What the hell are they doing in there?" 

"They're in there for everyone's safety," Ross said. "We had to cuff the super soldier with reinforced vibranium. The spider couldn't be given the chance to spit out those webs so we have his wrists covered and his hands needed to be completely covered as well to avoid him climbing. Naturally, the only choice was that get up. They've both got shock collars to keep them in check. There's a varying amount of voltage released, depending on why they're being punished. Could be a tickle, could be a shock away from death." 

"Get it off my son!" Steve screamed, tightening his hands into fists. 

Ross raised his hand with a small remote held between his fingers. "Ah ah…remember what I said about talking back. You won't like the outcome." 

Then he pressed the button and Steve readied himself for the burning shock. 

It never came, but the screaming did. 

Across from Steve, Peter convulsed on the ground as a scream tore through his throat. 

Both Tony and Steve were shouting at him to stop. Thankfully, after a few seconds, he did. Peter was wheezing painfully between sobs as Steve glared so hard at that bastard, wishing he could kill with looks. 

"You know the rules, whichever breaks them has to watch the other suffer. I thought you already learned that lesson." 

"Let them out," Tony growled, looking ready to deck the asshole. The only thing stopping him was probably that remote in his hand. 

"Let them out? Are you crazy? They're nothing but dangerous to everyone. We don't let dangerous criminals just run around New York, Mr. Stark." Ross was too calm. Too smug. 

"Dangerous criminals? They're  _ heroes."  _

"Now don't be getting coy with me now. You signed The Accords. You agreed to this." Ross crossed his arms over his chest. 

"No, I didn't! There were amends made! Those accords were shit before we went through them. You can't just keep them imprisoned like this! They have rights!" 

Ross' laugh sent shivers down Steve's spine. "Rights? No.  _ Humans _ have rights. Those two are mutant freaks. They have no rights. They belong to the government and this is where the government thinks they belong." 

"No!" Tony took a step forward. "You can't do this!"

"Oh, but I can. Get a good look at them, baby, because I don't think The Raft is having another visiting day until 2050." 

Steve knew it was fake. He knew this was all just an illusion. But still, the thought of him and Peter being kept like this, unable to see Tony for over 30 years had him nauseated. 

"I won't let you keep them here. I'll get them out." 

"You won't. You're the one that put them here." Ross took a step towards Tony as well. "They will rot to death in here. And before that, they'll be our lab rats to figure out just how they work." 

Tony shook his head. 

Ross smirked. "And guess what, Stark? The day they die, whether together or one before another, I'll send you a lock of their hair as a thank you gift. Even dead, their bodies could be useful in tests, so hair is all we can spare." He laughed, an evil manic kind of laugh. "Imagine all the advances in science we'll have from these two. All thanks to  _ you."  _

Tony was still shaking his head, unable to say anything as Ross got up in his face. 

"Don't listen to him, Tony!" Steve screamed. "This isn't real! Don't listen to him!" 

Neither of them seemed to hear him as Ross continued his lies. "They're going to suffer, and cry, and break, and then die...and it's all because of you. You put them here and you can't even save them. It's all your fault." 

Tony glanced over at Steve and Steve hated how tormented his eyes looked. He believed this. He was letting it get in his head. 

"Tony, we're okay! Sweetheart, just listen--." 

"Say goodbye to them. Next time you see them, your beloved husband will be old and gray and your son will be old enough to be a dad of his own. 

Tony whirled to face them and he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, the lights in the cells all went black. Steve didn't even see any emergency lights flashing. 

He couldn't hear Ross' smug laughing or Tony's fearful cries or Peter's painful wheezing. 

There was silence. 

There was darkness. 

And then there was nothing. 

  
  


* * *

The first thing Steve felt was the rage. He was furious. Almost as furious as he was when he gave a pounding to Skip. Almost. 

He was in the tower, but all lights were off, except for the kitchen down the hall. It was as if the sole light was beckoning him over. He stormed through the hallway, following it. 

He wondered if this was his own anger at everything going on or if this was from the nightmare. 

Once in the kitchen, he glanced around the kitchen and found a mess. There were broken dishes and even food strewn all over the floor. 

Tony was in the center of the room, on his hands and knees cleaning it up. 

Maybe he was angry at whoever did this to their home?

"What the hell happened?" He asked, but it came out as a shout.

Tony's head shot up and he looked terrified. Even though this was Steve's nightmare, not his. But Steve saw his part of the nightmare when he looked up. Tony's face was bleeding and bruised. 

Suddenly, Steve didn't care about the rage rattling his bones. He cared about Tony and Tony was hurt. He leaned down, intending to help Tony up, but his body didn't listen. 

His hand gripped Tony's arm tightly and yanked him up to his feet. Tony let out a yelp of pain when he did so.

Steve wanted it to stop, but he couldn't. It was like he wasn't in control of his own body. Tony's eyes were full of tears as he said, "Stop, Steve. Stop." 

"Tony," was all Steve could say and he hoped it sounded desperate enough for Tony to understand he didn't want this. 

"I'm scared," he admitted. "I'm scared of you." 

That was all Steve needed to hear to understand just what this nightmare was. He knew the words that came out of his mouth before they even did. Shaking Tony roughly, he yelled, "So this is my fault?! It's always my fault! You never do anything wrong! I'm always the bad guy! Just ask Peter!" 

Tony was shaking even when Steve stopped. "S-Steve, stop. This isn't you. I don't know what's going on, but this isn't you." 

Steve knew it wasn't him. This scene was a combination of many memories from Steve's childhood. This was his father. 

"Shut up!" He yelled, throwing Tony to the ground in the glass shards. 

Steve hated this. He hated this more than Peter's, more than Tony's...at least in theirs, it wasn't them hurting each other. In this one, Steve was acting just like his father had. 

He remembered watching his father beat his mother most nights, sober or not. He remembered hearing those cruel words he would scream at her and the sound of his hand punching or smacking her flesh. He wouldn't see it until she was on the ground because he had a limited view from under the table. He always hid under the table when he was caught in a fight. 

Recollecting that memory was a mistake though. Then his body was marching over to the table and he was flipping it over with more force than his father ever had. 

There was Peter, hiding in the same spot he spent most of his childhood in, with a hand clamped over his mouth and tears pouring down his cheeks.

He wanted to stop. He wanted to run and hide, but he couldn't. 

He surged forward and lifted Peter up by his ear. Peter cried out as Tony begged him to stop. "Steve! Dammit, stop! This isn't you! Put him down!" 

He ignored Tony, just like his father always ignored his mother and he focused all his fury on Peter. Once he was on his feet, he gripped him by the shoulders and shook him furiously. "You're hiding? You're pathetic, boy! Weak. You're no man! You're just like your mother." 

God, that had been the only nice thing his father ever said to him. 

"You disappoint me every damn day I'm reminded you're my son!" 

Peter looked absolutely crushed, but he didn't give in to his sobbing. Tears continued to stream down his face, but his voice was firm. "I know you don't mean any of this, Pops. This isn't you. You would never say or do or even think any of this." 

Peter was right...or was he? What if Steve had this in him the entire time. He had a bomb inside him just waiting to explode. His father was in him and there was no escape. 

"Don't act like you know me, boy." 

"I do know you! You're my Pops. My Papa Bear. You would never say any of this." He was getting all of this out between harsh sobs he couldn't contain. "It's just a dream." 

Steve let out a guttural scream as he pulled back his hand. In the blink of an eye, he was backhandeding Peter across the cheek. Peter fell to the ground next to Tony. He looked up at Steve with heartbroken eyes. 

But all Steve saw was the red handprint already forming on his face. 

Steve felt sick and all of his anger drained immediately. He fell to his knees, using the palms of his hands to catch some of his weight. He felt shards of glass embed themselves and he welcomed the pain.

For the first time since this nightmare started, he felt in control of his body and emotions. He stared down at the ground, breathing heavily before he looked up at his husband and son. 

They stared right back and no one said a word. 

Steve used the silence to push himself to his feet and turn on his heels, running away from them. He was afraid that he would lose control again, so he ran before he could. He ran away from the light of the kitchen towards the darkness of the rest of the tower. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart as the darkness slowly surrounded him completely, taking the sound of his heartbeat with it all. 

* * *

When they were back in the dark room, Steve heard Nightmare laughing. He looked around and saw Peter crying only a few feet from him. Tony, no longer bloody, immediately crawled over to him.

Steve stayed far away. 

"Wasn't that so much fun?" Nightmare cackled. "I don't know who I liked more, the babysitter, the secretary of state, or the abusive drunk." 

"Stop!" Steve shouted. "Stop! Stop!  _ Stop!"  _

"What's a matter, Captain? You didn't like people hurting your family? Or did you not like being the one to hurt them?" 

"Don't listen to him, Steve." Tony yelled, still so far away.

"How does it feel to be completely honest with each other?" Nightmare was towering over them, his power making him over 10 feet tall now. 

"Shut up," Steve said weakly, just wanting all of this to end. 

"Dad," Nightmare turned to Tony first, ignoring Steve. "Yours wasn't exactly a memory, but wow...you really were for the accords that would send both of your family members to a cell?" 

Tony's hold on Peter tightened. "It wasn't that simple--." 

"And Boy, did you think you could keep that a secret forever? That they wouldn't know how dirty you really are?" 

"Shut up!" Steve roared, louder this time. 

Nightmare flickered as he turned to face Steve, very calmly. "And you Pops, did you think you could ignore those feelings forever? You are your father's son. You were always meant to be just like him." 

Steve faltered and stared down at the ground in defeat. He just wanted this to end. He wanted this over with. "What do you want?" 

"I want you scared." 

Steve thought about the cave, and the car accident, and the funeral, and the courtroom, and the ice, and the child's bedroom--  _ his  _ child's bedroom. They were scared enough. They were terrified. "What else do you want? What more could you do?" 

"I have one more trick up my sleeve," he said, a smirk growing on his face. "And after this nightmare, only two of you wake up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most people always forgets that Joseph rogers was an abusive ass to Sarah and Steve. I am not one of those people.


	5. Chapter 5

This time, the setting didn't change. They stayed in the same pitch black room with Nightmare watching them from the side. But now there were two chalices and a small vial. Peter was sitting on one side and Tony and Steve were on the other. 

"This is your final nightmare," he said as the three of them stared at the cups. "Boy, do me a favor and take that vial." 

Peter did so, but Steve doubted how much free will was actually involved in the action. 

"Good boy." Then he was talking to Steve and Tony. "You two close your eyes now." 

Steve had no say in the matter when his eyelids fluttered shut. 

"Now pour it into one of the cups while they're not watching." 

Peter poured it in silently and then Steve's eyes opened. He had no idea which one Peter chose. 

"There's only water in those cups. Except for the one Peter just poured poison into." Nightmare cackled. 

Peter's eyes widened as he stared down at them. 

"He's going to choose which one of you gets the poison and which one of you gets the water. You'll find out who he chooses to let live when one of you hits the ground." 

That had all the color draining from Peter's face. "No, no, no--." 

"Yes, yes, yes!" Nightmare clapped his hands together. "This is how you get out of these nightmares. Well...how  _ two  _ of you get out." 

Peter was already crying. "You can't make me pick! I won't kill one of my fathers!" 

"Oh, sweetie," Nightmare cooed in such a faux sympathetic voice. 

It made Steve sick to hear him use his nickname for Peter in such a condescending way. 

"I can't make you choose which one, but I can kill them both. I can keep them here with me forever and let you go. You can live the rest of your life without your parents knowing they're dead because of you." 

Peter shook his head, covering his face with his hands. "No. Please don't make me--  _ please."  _

"Who're you gonna choose, kid? Daddy or Papa?" 

"Please, please,  _ please!"  _

"Pick wisely. The one you choose you'll never see again." 

"Don't listen to him. You don't have to do anything," Steve said. "We'll take the cups and we'll pick who gets which. That's not--." 

"No!" Peter shouted. "I don't want to lose either of you!"

"You've got to choose one," Nightmare said. "Only two of you are allowed out of this nightmare." 

Peter stared down at the two chalices and then lifted one up with a shaky hand. Nightmare started laughing and Steve guessed that was the chalice he poured the poison in. 

Steve watched him intently, waiting to see who he was going to give it to. He hoped it was him and not Tony. 

But Peter didn't give it to him or Tony. He lifted it to his own lips. He tipped back the glass and drank it in only a few seconds. 

Steve and Tony both jumped forward to try and stop him. They were too late. 

The glass fell from his hand and he started coughing. Steve lifted him up and pulled him against his side. 

"Peter, what the hell?" Tony asked, sounding seconds from crying.

"I couldn't choose…" He said, breathing heavily. 

"You couldn't choose so you drank it yourself?" Steve asked incredulously. 

"I had to!" Peter wheezed, gripping onto Steve's shirt. Already, his face was covered in beads of sweat. 

Nightmare was laughing above them, louder than ever. Like he knew this was going to happen.

Tony turned to him, fuming. "Don't let him die-- I swear if you let him die, I'll kill you!" 

"I knew he wasn't going to be able to choose between his fathers. Didn't think he'd have the balls to drink it himself so fast...but here we are." 

Peter was unable to hold himself up anymore in Steve's arms. He was pressing his face against Steve's chest, crying in hiccuped sobs. "'M sorry…" 

Steve spoke in a low voice and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "It's okay. We're going to fix this." 

"I didn't wanna live...without either one of you." Peter's eyes were drooping. 

"And you think we want to live without you?" Steve brushed some of his sweaty hair from his forehead. 

"That's the true nightmare," Nightmare said, still laughing. "For parents to live without their child.  _ That  _ is the nightmare you will be stuck in for the rest of your lives." 

Steve glared up at Nightmare as Tony soothed Peter in quiet whispers. Peter was whimpering through it. "If you think either of us will ever let you get away with this, you're crazy." 

Nightmare grinned. "I guess we'll see about that." Then he snapped his fingers and it was all gone.

* * *

Steve woke up, for real this time, in a cold sweat. His chest was heaving as he tried to calm his racing heart. Tony was doing the same thing next to him. 

He turned to glance at him and they were both sitting up, nothing but their heavy breathing filling the silence. 

"Was…all that real?" 

Steve nodded his head. All of it...including--. Steve looked down between them and saw Peter laying still, pale as a ghost with a sheen of sweat covering his face. 

"He's not waking up," Steve said. "Tony, why isn't he waking up?" 

"I don't know!  _ I don't know!"  _ Tony put a hand on Peter's shoulder and shook him gently. He didn't move. 

"He's still stuck with Nightmare. How do we get him out? What if he's alive in there and what if he makes him relive his worst nightmares over and over and over--?" 

"We have to call Strange. He'll know. He has to know." Tony was already getting out of bed, careful not to jostle Peter. 

Steve fixed him so he was more comfortable lying on the bed. He brushed hair from his face and whispered gently. "It's alright, baby. We're gonna get you back. I promise." 

* * *

Strange came in record time because he had a soft spot for the kid. Everyone had a soft spot for Peter. 

He was doing spells as he laid in bed, trying to get Peter out of whatever trance he was in. 

Strange knew of Nightmare and he knew how to fix it, but it was harder to get him from Nightmare's grip when he had so much power. 

"You two are feeding into this," Strange said, standing by their bedside. "Your fear is keeping him strong."

"Our son is dying!" Tony shouted. "How are we supposed to  _ not  _ be terrified?" 

Steve glanced over at them, far away from the bed. He wanted to stay out of it. He didn't want to hurt Peter anymore. 

"That's not the only thing. There is so much fear in this room. You need to work through something. You need to come over here and sit with your child to calm him!" 

Steve shook his head, but Tony was the one that responded. "But he's unconscious. How will he even know? He's trapped in there  _ alone."  _

"And even you just sitting there would  _ help."  _

Tony looked over to Steve and again, he shook his head. "You saw me, Tony. I smacked him-- that's the last thing he'll probably remember. I can't hurt him again." 

Tony narrowed his eyes, walked over, and took him by the hands. "That wasn't you. That will never  _ be  _ you. I know that and so does Peter." 

Steve glanced over Tony's shoulder to stare at Peter. Strange was still trying to use magic to pull him out of his unconscious. "It should have been me," Steve whispered. "I deserved it." 

"No. You don't. None of us deserved it." Tony's eyes hardened. "Now come with me and sit by our son's side. He needs us." 

Steve finally nodded his head, but he wasn't fearless. He wondered how Tony could even look at him still or how he could hold his hand. Steve was a monster. 

But he didn't let that show. He sat done with Tony next to Peter on the bed and they each took one of his hands in his. 

"Thank you," Strange said as if they had been a previous inconvenience. "Now, just...calm him. I'll do the rest." 

It was odd to calm him when he already looked so peaceful. Steve had been there by his side after many nightmares and he never looked this calm. But he still did what would wake him up. 

He brushed his hair a few times as he hushed him softly. Tony spoke in a gentle voice, "You're alright, Petey. You're safe with Pops and I. We love you so much." 

"We do," Steve said too. "We just want you to wake up for us. We miss you so much, sweetie." "And we're here for you. Whatever you need. You just have to...wake up." 

Steve brought Peter's hand to his lips and kissed his palm gently. "Please." 

* * *

It took longer than Steve thought it would to wake Peter up. It took over an hour of them sitting in bedding and reassuring Peter's unconscious body that he was safe. 

On top of that, Peter didn't wake up suddenly. He was up and done in short bursts. He was always crying and begging for it to stop, but never coherent. 

Sometimes he cried out for Skip to stop. Other times he just cried out "Dad" and "Pops", even for Harry too. 

He never cried for Steve to stop or to leave him alone. Steve would have thought that he'd have nightmares of Steve hurting him and Tony, but he didn't hear any. 

After the fourth time of listening to Peter crying for Skip to leave him alone,  _ "stop, it hurts!"  _ Steve had to get off the bed and cover his mouth. 

"Rogers, you have to get back over here!" Strange shouted. "He's almost awake. He needs both of you!" 

"How much longer do we have to sit there and listen to this? How much longer does Peter have to endure it?" Steve shouted. He was angry at Strange, and he was angry at Skip, and he was angry at Nightmare, and he was angry at himself.

"Get over here or else it will last forever." 

Steve swallowed down the bile coming up his throat and sat back down. Peter was quiet now but was starting to get upset again. Steve prayed it wasn't Skip again. 

"Papa! Dad!" He cried out. "I need you!" 

"We're right here," Tony promised. "Just open your eyes and see, bambino." 

And finally, he did. 

Peter opened his tear filled eyes and when he saw Tony and Steve above him, he started bawling. He couldn't form any words through his tears yet, but he didn't need to. 

Steve and Tony pulled him close in a hug and soothed him as best as they could. 

"You're safe, Peter. You're safe." 

Steve didn't know if Tony was right. Was he really safe if Steve was right here? 

"I-- I had the worst dreams!" He sobbed harder, wiping his face against Tony's shirt. 

"They're over, I promise," Tony said, pulling back to look down at him. "Now it's your turn to make a promise." 

"Hm?" 

"Don't you  _ ever  _ put yourself before us like that again," Tony said sternly. 

"I couldn't--." 

"Promise me." 

Peter hesitated, but in the end, he sighed and nodded. "Okay. I promise." 

Tony smiled and wiped some tears off of his face. "Good boy." 

Steve cleared his throat and stared down at his lap. He hated to ruin the moment, but he had to apologize. "I'm sorry for hitting you, Peter. I'm sorry for how I acted--." 

"Stop it," Peter's voice was no longer wobbly from tears. 

"What?"

"Don't apologize for something you didn't do."

Steve furrowed his brow. "I smacked you, Peter. I saw it-- I felt it." 

"That wasn't you. You would never do that."

Steve finally looked up at him, hoping he'd find sincerity in his eyes. He did. "How do you know?" 

"Because you're my Pops. I know you." 

Steve choked on the lump lodged in his throat and pulled Peter in for a tight hug. All of the emotions he'd been struggling to contain came pouring out. "I'm sorry, bud. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." 

"You did. You always do." Peter kissed his cheek and Steve felt stupid for being the one crying in Peter's shoulder, but he didn't stop. 

"Well," Strange said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I think my job here is done…"

Syeve heard him walking away and didn't want to let go of Peter, but then a sudden thought had him pulling away. He shifted Peter to Tony's arms and began to get up. "I'll be right back." He kissed Peter's head before hurrying to Strange before he left the tower. 

He caught up with him in the hallway. "Dr. Strange, wait." 

Strange turned around with an eyebrow raised. 

"Thank you. Thank you for bringing my boy back." 

"I did it for him." 

"I know." Steve nodded his head. "And I hope I'm not out of place asking for you to do something for me." 

Strange turned around and gave Steve his full attention, his interest peaked. "Oh?" 

"Can you use your-- magic powers to find someone?" 

Strange smirked at his lame attempt of describing his powers. "Yes. I suppose I could." 

Steve nodded his head. "I need you to find a man named Steven Westcott. Skip. I have something I need to give him." 

Strange's smirk grew. "I was hoping you'd ask. Come on. I've got a few ideas of my own

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you're excited for the pain I have planned. Just know, there will be a happy ending.


End file.
